Magnetism Lesson Plan: Create a Thinking Map

Lesson Procedure:

1. Students will be given magnets to work with and use. The students will discuss and jot down anything they notice and knowledge that they have about magnets in general.
2. In partnerships, students will use the Make-A-Map tool to create a thinking map about magnetism. The goal for this first draft of the Make-A-Map will be to elicit students' background knowledge.
3. Students will then briefly share with their peers their first draft of their concept maps.
4. Next (or on the second day), students will watch the BrainPOP video on Magnetism.
5. Press play on the movie a second time. After the letter to Tim is read at the beginning of the video, stop the movie.
6. Students will then formulate two open-ended questions that they have about magnetism.
7. Enable the closed captioning feature of the video to support the ELLs in the class. Students will take notes as the video is played the second time.
8. Students will discuss what they learned from watching the video. The students will then share whether or not their questions were answered in the video.
9. Questions that have not been answered will then be put in a class "parking lot" chart. This chart will serve as a springboard for further inquiry by the students.
10. The students will then update their Make-A-Maps in class and research magnets using the internet and short, complex texts that have been provided by the teacher. Also show students the Related Reading articles on magnetism as a resource to be included in their Make-A-Maps.
11. Students will be given 3-4 more periods to delve into further research and add to or refine their maps. Students will be afforded with any and all resources that are available on BrainPOP.
12. Students will then present their maps in partnerships and write an individual reflection on their learning process.
13. For additional assessment, students will complete the BrainPOP Review Quiz.